Updated: Manhole explosions reported near Union Square

The Strand "currently closed" but "safe" after multiple manhole blasts this morning https://t.co/k8LXqjgaFU pic.twitter.com/VN55fDFE4P

— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) March 31, 2017

Emergency responders have been on Broadway between Union Square and 12th Street after a series of manhole explosions just after 8 this morning.

No word yet on the cause. There weren't any reports of injuries either. Will update when more information becomes available.

Hi Strand fam, thanks for checking on us this morning. The Strand (& books) are safe!! We are currently closed, stay tuned for updates. ❤️

— Strand Book Store (@strandbookstore) March 31, 2017

Updated noon:

Some details from the Daily News:

The blasts shattered the windows of the Strand Bookstore, which had not yet opened for the day, and forced the evacuation of 826 Broadway next door after eleveated carbon monoxide levels were detected, officials said.

The second manhole exploded under an FDNY firetruck that had rolled up to respond to the first explosion, damaging the vehicle, officials said.

The blasts were likely caused by damage from salt laid down during winter snowstorms and washed into the underground system by Friday morning’s rainstorm.

Updated 1:15 p.m.

Here's more from an updated WABC 7 report:

Multiple manhole fires that led to evacuations and building damage Friday, likely were caused by salt used on roads during snowstorms.

Salt laid down during winter washed into the underground system, according to the New York City Fire Department. When snow melts and mixes with salt, it can spark fires and explosions.

As for damage..

Three buildings had broken windows: 60 East 12th St., 70 East 12th St., 77 East 12th St.

There was interior damage and high carbon monoxide readings in 826 Broadway, which led to evacuations. In the basement of 817 Broadway, there also were high carbon monoxide readings.

There weren't any injuries reported.

That was then

[East 6th Street]

Though the years, Gregoire Alessandrini has shared some early 1990s photos of the city with us... (like here ... and here).

He recently added another set to his blog — New York in the 1990's Photo Archives.

Here are a few of the East Village-related shots...


[East 13th Street]


[East Houston]




[7th and B]


[10th Street and Avenue A]

Check out the rest of the set here.

The usual background: As a student here in the early-to-mid 1990s, Alessandrini always carried a camera around with him ... and he has been uploading the photos from that time to his blog. He lives in Paris these days.

Those Starbucks rumors continue to percolate on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

[Photo from October]

Back in the fall, an EVG reader told us a worker was upgrading the electricity at 131 Avenue A ... because he said a Starbucks was going to be renting the former Nino's and Hop Devil Grill spaces on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place.

Meanwhile, last week, an Avenue A business owner asked us if we heard about a Starbucks opening on Avenue A. Now the rumor continues to pick up steam, as The Villager cites an unnamed source who tells the weekly paper: "I would say it’s a 90 percent certainty that Starbucks will be in the space."

Last fall, a tipster shared the flyer in circulation for the property...



At the time, a source with knowledge of the asking rent said that the corner space was seeking $15,020 per month and the inline storefront was going for $42,072 per month. The landlord was asking $52,000 for the combined spaces.

So far, there isn't any other evidence that this space has a tenant just yet. And Starbucks has been a handy rumored tenant in recent years ... for the corner of Avenue A and 11th Street and Avenue B and Fourth Street ... the contractor who said that a Starbucks was coming to First Avenue and 13th Street turned out to be correct, though.

James Morrissey, who owns The Late Late on East Houston and now VNYL on Third Avenue, had been after the spaces to create The Honey Fitz, a bar-diner-restaurant-cafe-networking space. Those plans never materialized early last year.


[Photo from yesterday]

To recap, Nino's closed in October 2015. As previously reported, owner Nino Camaj accepted a low six-figure amount to walk away from his remaining 10-year lease and surrender the pizza shop that he opened in 1989. He had been in a dispute with the landlord over back rent and a closure due to a gas leak in the building. Hop Devil Grill and its sister bar next door, The Belgian Room, were seized by the state in April 2015 for nonpayment of taxes.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look at the retail listing for the northwest corner of A and St. Mark's Place

The former spaces for Nino's and Hop Devil Grill have been combined

Macaron Parlour leaves St. Mark's Place for larger space on the LES

[Image via RKF]

On Wednesday, Macaron Parlour closed its storefront on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue ahead of a move to a larger shop on the LES.

Owners Christina Ha and Emilie Legrand explained via Facebook:

We are so pleased to announce that we are moving our East Village shop to the Lower East Side. Our new address will be 44 Hester St., right beside our sister company Meow Parlour. We will be opening sometime next week (TBA) once we’ve settled in. In the meantime, you can find our treats in our UWS shop or the Meow Parlour Bakery.

Macaron Parlour East Village was our very first brick-and-mortar store, which we opened in October 2012. These past 4+ years have been truly amazing. What started out as just a dream has grown beyond our wildest imaginations. We will miss being in the East Village so, so much. We’ve simply outgrown the space and are looking forward to a bigger kitchen for production!

Finally, we wanted to thank our neighbors and regulars in the East Village who we have come to know and love dearly, our friends who have provided their never-ending support for us, and our customers who continue to come from near and far to try out our treats. We hope you will visit us at our new location in the LES!

We are excited to join the neighborhood and see what the future holds!

The space at 111 St. Mark's Place was previously home (briefly) to the Chocolate Library.

Addiction NYC heads across St. Mark's Place

Addiction NYC has closed up shop at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... the tattoo parlor and smoke shop is headed across St. Mark's Place to No. 18...



As we understand it... Addiction will be merging with existing businesses from the same owner ...



No. 27 is one of the properties that controversial landlord Rapahel Toledano, who just filed for Chapter 11, is trying to sell. Meanwhile, the retail tenants here have received major rent increases. The Sock Man moved away (to 99 1/2 St. Mark's Place) from his longtime home in one of the spaces last January after the rent was hiked by 3x. The tenant Toledano's brokers found to replace The Sock Man, the rolled ice cream shop Lab -320°, closed after six months in business.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Training day

#Parkour in Tompkins Square Park... Photo early this evening by Ryan John Lee (see more of his work here ... and here).

Become a member of the 6BC Botanical Garden; 1st orientation is Saturday

[Photos via 6BC Botanical Garden]

Via the EVG inbox... from the 6BC Botanical Garden on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Hello, fellow gardeners! It's that time again! 6BC is seeking responsible persons interested in making a commitment to our community garden. Get out in the sunshine, meet your neighbors,and help us keep this lovely space green and growing for our community. And maybe make a new friend or two!

As a member of 6BC Garden, you will have year-round access to the garden, and invitations to members-only events,
Most importantly, you will be helping to maintain a priceless, serene, green space for our neighborhood and for yourself. So you know nothing about gardening? No problem! We all learn together. You don't even have to garden — there are other ways to help out.

Orientation Dates:
Saturday, April 1
Sunday, April 9
Sunday, April 23
Saturday, April 29
Sunday, May 7
Saturday, May 20

All orientations start at 11 a.m.

Find more details here.

Last year, 6BC received the Achievement in Landscape Design in the first GreenThumb Gardeners Recognition Awards ...topping 600 other city gardens.

The sign at the garden noting this distinction was recently enhanced...

Noted

An EVG reader shared these photos from Astor Place this morning... where a crew and cast were filming a commercial for the Tribeca Film Festival...



There were rumors that this was a new, quick-serve food concept...

Out east

Thanks to EVG reader Alex L. for today's sunrise photo from East River Park...

Report: Raphael Toledano files for Chapter 11; $145 million deal for EV portfolio is off the table

On Tuesday, an affiliate of Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on a 15-building East Village portfolio, The Real Deal reports.

Meanwhile, the deal to sell the portfolio to Joseph Sutton, son of retail mogul Jeff Sutton, for some $145 million is also off.

All this has transpired about one month after Madison Realty Capital filed to foreclose on the package of multifamily walk-ups acquired by Toledano in 2015 from the Tabak family. (Toledano purchased 28 buildings in two separate portfolios from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million.)

Per The Real Deal:

Now that the deal with Sutton is no longer happening, Toledano is looking for other suitors, sources said.

The bankruptcy filing, submitted by Brookhill-controlled entity East Village Properties LLC, would buy Toledano more time to sell the buildings and avoid foreclosure.

Toledano and Sutton declined to comment. Sources familiar with the deal said that Sutton did not want to be associated with a deal tainted with a bankruptcy filing.

According to The Real Deal, the buildings in this portfolio are: 27 St. Mark's Place, 66 E. 7th St., 514 E. 12th St., 223 E. 5th St., 229 E. 5th St., 231 E. 5th St., 233 E. 5th St., 235 E. 5th St., 228 E. 6th St., 253 E. 10th St., 323-325 E. 12th St., 327 E. 12th St., 329 E. 12th St., 334 E. 9th St. and 510 E. 12th St.

The Brookhill Properties website previously showed that the company owned 21 buildings in the East Village.

As of last evening, the Brookhill Properties website was no longer online...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Foreclosure notice arrives on Raphael Toledano-owned building on 12th Street

Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Cleaning up 444 E. 13th St.

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Health Department to inspect Raphael Toledano's East Village properties for toxic levels of lead dust

Image via the Brookhill website

Village Pourhouse is closing on 3rd Avenue; E.Vil is coming soon

Word is circulating that Village Pourhouse, the pub-crawling hosting hotspot, is closing on Monday. A tipster told us that management informed the staff last night.

However, the sports bar, which opened in the summer of 2006 on Third Avenue at East 11th Street, shouldn't be empty for too long.

The teaser site for E.Vil, the incoming rock club reportedly inspired by CBGB and Max's Kansas City, lists 64 Third Ave. — the current home of Village Pourhouse — as its address...



This new venture via, among other partners, club owner Richie Akiva, is "where you go to hear Aerosmith, the Clash, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, ’80s/’90s rock, the Cult," one source told Page Six.

E.Vil is expected to open on April 17, according to their Instagram account. They were not listed on the April CB3-SLA committee docket released yesterday for a new liquor license.

Previously on EV Grieve:
E.Vil is coming to the East Village (31 comments)

City ID cards available through April 13 at former St. Mark's Bookshop on 3rd Avenue

31 Third Ave. at Stuyvesant Street has been empty ever since St. Mark's Bookshop moved out in June 2014. There have been a few art shows here, which makes sense given that Cooper Union owns the building.

Starting tomorrow, though, the space will be an IDNYC center through April 13...





Here's more about the program:

New York City residents are now able to sign up for IDNYC – a government-issued identification card that is available to all City residents age 14 and older. Immigration status does not matter. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this initiative in his State of the City address in January 2014 and less than one year later proudly launched the largest municipal identification card program in the nation.

Find more details on how to sign up here.

No. 31 was home to the St. Mark's Bookshop for 22 years.

Do you have an apartment with an open floor plan for 'Broad City' to use?

Slum Goddess shares this flyer ... Crews are out scouting locations in the East Village for season 4 of "Broad City."

"We're looking for an apartment to film in for 1 day. The shoot is tentatively scheduled to take place sometime between April 3 and April 14. The apartment should be two bedrooms and up with an open floor plan ... The idea it is supposed to play as a dorm room.

Today in free shit on 7th Street

FYI — someone has already nabbed the free lunch sign... photo by Derek Berg